Erin Cluley Gallery's Havana Bienal
ITINERARY
MAY 26-31, 2015
Welcome to Havana!
[1] Tue, 26 May 2015 - Havana City
Check-in: Hotel Nacional de Cuba
[12:00 pm] - Arrive in Havana
On arrival in Havana, we will meet our local guide and transfer to the hotel in an air-conditioned bus. On the way, we stop to see famous Revolution Square. At the hotel, we have a light lunch before check in.
[5:00 pm] - Cocktails at the hotel
Will all meet for a cocktail while our tour leader discusses our itinerary and we hand out the biennial credentials and catalog.
[7:30 pm] - San Cristobal Paladar (Restaurant - Paladar)
Rated by The Guardian as the number one Paladar in Havana, This paladar, is in a space that is cluttered and eclectic on the bottom floor of an early 20th-century mansion. Piles of old books are stacked atop beautiful old furniture; black and white photos jostle for space with antique record covers and bullfighting posters, while a selection of clocks, religious artefacts and, even a full-size zebra pelt, add to the mix. The food is Cuban-Creole: malanga, yucca, cerdo asado (roast pork), lobster, fresh fish, shrimp and other traditional fare. This is not, however, the bland standard cuisine found in many state restaurants. The dessert menu is expansive: pudding San Cristóbal (eggs, fruit, milk and almonds) is excellent while the fruit tart and rice puddings are pretty passable, as well as the omnipresent flan. The wine list is broad enough and reasonably priced. We will have a chance to speak with the Chef and the owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba.
[2] Wed, 27 May 2015 - Havana City
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel (Miscellanea - Included)
Breakfast on your own, starting at 7:00 am.
[9:00 am] - Lectures / class
We start the day with a lecture at the hotel on the architectural history of Havana by an expert.
[10:00 am] - Old Havana Four Plazas (Tour - City tour)
Tour Old Havana on foot, walking between the four main plazas that comprise Cuba’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Start at Plaza de Armas, the site of the oldest Spanish fortress in the Americas, the 1519 locale of the first mass in Cuba, and the massive Baroque seat of government, known as Palacio de los Capitanes Generales. Continue to Plaza de San Francisco de Assis and Plaza Vieja, where we will visit artists galleries and historic buildings and get a sense of the structure of the colonial city. Wind through historic streets spanning 5 centuries of historic architecture and end at Plaza de la Catedral and see the Baroque cathedral.
[12:00 pm] - Las Tres Monedas (Restaurant - Restaurant-Bar-Gallery)
This is one of the next generation of paladares in Havana. Its next-gen because it is a combination eating establishment, bar and night-club as well as an artwork in process established and conducted by one of the leading new social practice artists of Havana, Kadir Lopez. Unlike many of Havana’s paladares the food here is light and quick with creative tapas being the best description. The bar offers a variety of Cuban and international spirits and the entertainment is high art music and performances. The place itself is an art work crafted by Kadir. Overall this place gives you the idea that you are in a 1940’s New York City art house looking out at the Old Havana street scene of today.
[2:15 pm] - Museo de Bellas Artes Cuban art collection/Bellas Artes Museum (Museum - Art Museum)
You will visit the Cuban collections in this striking modernist building which was completed in 1953 and exemplifies the combination of sculpture with architecture in Cuban mid-century modernism. The Palace of Fine Arts houses a collection of Cuban visual art that spans 4 centuries. We will have a private tour guided by a curator.
[3:30 pm] - Bienial activities (Museum - Art Gallery)
This afternoon, we explore some of the programmed activities of the Havana Biennial, including the opportunity to meet artists whose work is included in the Biennial.
[5:30 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner
[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own (Miscellanea - On your own)( Not included)
Tonight dinner is in a paladar of your choice from a list of the hottest foodie scenes in the City. The tour guide will make the reservations. This is an opportunity to get away from the larger group and dine with a smaller group of friends. You will take a taxi to the meal that we will find for you. The group will have a chance to speak with the Chef and owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba. The cost of this meal is not included in the trip price.
[3] Thu, 28 May 2015 - Havana City
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
Breakfast on your own, starting at 7:00 am.
[9:00 am] - Lectures / class
A Cuban expert on contemporary art starts our day with a lecture on the Cuban art scene.
[10:00 am] - The ISA ( Instituto Superior de Arte) (Museum - Artist Studio Visit)
Cuba’s National Art Schools are considered by historians to be one of the most outstanding architectural achievements of the Cuban Revolution. These innovative, organic Catalan vaulted brick and terra-cotta structures were built on the site of a former American Country Club in the far western Havana suburb of Cubanacán, which used to be Havana's "Beverly Hills" and is now the mainly reserved for Communist Party officials. The schools were conceived and founded by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara in 1961, and they reflect the utopian optimism and revolutionary exuberance of the early years of the Cuban Revolution. Over the years of active use, the schools served as the primary incubator for Cuba’s artists, musicians, actors and dancers.
[11:30 am] - Kcho Museum (Museum - Art Museum)
The Kcho Romerillo Studio & Arts Laboratory is a community cultural project that Cuban artist Alexis Leyva Machado (Kcho) started in late September at Havana’s El Romerillo neighborhood. This multipurpose center includes a public library, classrooms, and a small theater. And a contemporary arts gallery for big format pieces named La Nave. Kcho is also developing another cultural project in the neighborhood which will include five recreational-sports areas. Considered as one of the most well-known Cuban artists, Kcho has been conferred with the UNESCO Prize for the Promotion of Arts and the Gwangju Biennale Great Prize in South Korea.
[1:00 pm] - El Aljibe criolla cuisine (Restaurant - Cuban cuisine)
An outdoor thatched-roof restaurant located in the residential area of Miramar, a few minutes from downtown Havana. A flavor created and maintained by the family tradition since the first restaurant was founded on the El Aljibe farm. The specialty is the El Aljibe Chicken, which combines roast chicken with French fries and fried plantain, delicious black beans, white rice, salad and, for dessert, national sweets.
[2:00 pm] - 7ma y 60 artist studio (Museum - Artist Studio Visit) Studio 7 y 60 has been in existence since 2010, when Maria Cienfuegos and three collaborators decided to use her family’s apartment as a space to present their works for sale directly to the public. The gallery takes its name from its location at the intersection of 7 and 60 streets in Miramar, and the building where it’s located is notable for its architectural history. Constructed in 1956 and designed by Mario Romanach, one of Cuba’s most important modernist architects, the building combines simple, modernist lines with interpretations of colonial details such as stained glass windows and wooden blinds and grilles. Still in its original condition, the building provides an appropriate backdrop for contemporary Cuban art.
[4:00 pm] - Barrio Habana - Social project
Barrio Habana is part of a new kind of public-private partnership in Cuba. Designed to support just one neighborhood, BarrioHabana brings together new private enterprises with public institutions - schools, the state-run ‘Casas de Abuelos’ (senior centers), clinics - to support the community with social groups and some needed material goods. We will tour the location, meet the founder and some of the participants. Donations of personal hygiene products and school supplies are always welcome.
[5:30 pm] - Artist Studio Visit
We will have a private studio visit with an artist, who will show us works in progress and discuss their work with the group.
[6:30 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner
[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own (Not included)
Tonight dinner is in a paladar of your choice from a list of the hottest foodie scenes in the City. The tour guide will make the reservations. This is an opportunity to get away from the larger group and dine with a smaller group of friends. You will take a taxi to the meal that we will find for you. The group will have a chance to speak with the Chef and owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba. The cost of this meal is not included in the trip price.
[4] Fri, 29 May 2015 - Havana City
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
Breakfast on your own, starting at 7:00 am.
[9:00 am] - Transfer from Havana to Matanzas ( City tour)
We will visit the castle of San Severino and learn about Cuba’s slave trade,and enjoy a walking tour of historic downtown Matanzas, including the Cathedral, the Teatro Sauto, and the Pharmacy Museum.
[12:30 pm] - Restaurant Velazco (Restaurant - International cuisine) [MATANZAS]
We meet artists at Ediciones Vigia and the Galeria Lolo, before a private chamber music concert at the beautiful Ermita de Monserrate overlooking the city and bay of Matanzas.
[5:00 pm] - Transfer Matanzas - Havana
[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own ( Not included)
Tonight dinner is in a paladar of your choice from a list of the hottest foodie scenes in the City. The tour guide will make the reservations. This is an opportunity to get away from the larger group and dine with a smaller group of friends. You will take a taxi to the meal that we will find for you. The group will have a chance to speak with the Chef and owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba. The cost of this meal is not included in the trip price.
[5] Sat, 30 May 2015 Havana City
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
On your own, starting at 7:00 am.
[10:00 am] - Ernest Hemingway's Finca La Vigia (Museum - History Museum)
Visit Ernest Hemingway's Finca La Vigia, located on a hilltop in the rural village of San Francisco de Paula, just southeast of the City of Havana. The home has recently been the subject of a massive preservation effort by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as the author left it in 1961. At this farm you will be able to see his sport-fishing boat, the Pilar. This place houses the Hemingway Museum. The Finca Vigia estate and the fishing village of Cojimar are considered the most significant locales for those interested in Hemmingway’s history.
[11:30 am] - Artist Studio Visit
We will have a private studio visit with an artist, who will show us works in progress and discuss their work with the group.
[12:30 pm] - Lunch on your own ( Not included)
Lunch is on your own today, in order to sample some of the many new private restaurants in Old Havana.
[2:00 pm] - Bienal activities (Tour - Cultural)
This afternoon, we explore some of the programmed activities of the Havana Biennial, including the opportunity to meet artists whose work is included in the Biennial.
[6:30 pm] - Classic cars (Tour - City tour)
We will be picked up by a fleet of classic American cars and ride through Havana in style to dinner tonight.
[7:30 pm] - La Guarida (Restaurant - Paladar)
Anyone who has been to La Guarida will find it difficult to disagree that Enrique and Odeisys have managed to create their own magical place. It oodles a cosy atmosphere with soft lights, fine table linen, German silver cutlery, candles, Cuban music and good jazz. The effect is magnified by the entrance from a run-down Central Havana street. The building, originally known as La Mansión Camagüey, shows its former grandeur from the magnificent wooden entrance door through the marble staircase up the two flights of stairs to the restaurant itself. Fidel’s famous explanation of [why he said] Patria o Muerte (country or death) is a photographer’s dream on the way down. For visitors to Havana, La Guarida has become a must experience. This is deservedly so for while it may be busy, expensive and has been discovered before, it retains its intimate (somewhat formal) charm and provides a quality dining experience with sensitivity and professionalism.
[6] Sun, 31 May 2015 - Havana City
Checkout: Hotel Nacional de Cuba
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
Breakfast on your own, starting at 7:00 am.
[9:00 am] - Check out of Hotel
[10:00 am] - Transfer from Hotel Nacional to the airport
[1:15 pm] - Depart Havana to Miami